Men who are addicted to the passions are like the torch-carrier running against the wind; his hands are sure to be burned.

The Four Reliances. First, rely on the spirit and meaning of the teachings, not on the words; Second, rely on the teachings, not on the personality of the teacher; Third, rely on real wisdom, not superficial interpretation; And fourth, rely on the essence of your pure Wisdom Mind, not on judgmental perceptions.

But if you miss it, you will next be confronted with the angry deities, ... threatening you and barring your passage ... because you turned a deaf ear to the saving truths of religion. All these forms are strange to you, ... they terrify you, ... and yet it is you who have created them. Do not give in to your fright, ... flee them not! They are but ... the contents of your own mind... If at this point you should manage to understand that, ... and you will find yourself in a paradise among the angels.

One is not a great one because one defeats or harms other living beings. One is so called because one refrains from defeating or harming other living beings.

Goodwill toward all beings is the true religion; cherish in your hearts boundless goodwill to all that lives.

Abstain from all sinful, unwholesome actions, perform only pious wholesome ones, purify the mind; this is the teaching of enlightened ones

The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world.